Front office assistant vs front desk coordinator

The differences between front office assistants and front desk coordinators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a front office assistant and a front desk coordinator. Additionally, a front office assistant has an average salary of $32,913, which is higher than the $31,667 average annual salary of a front desk coordinator.

The top three skills for a front office assistant include patients, customer service and excellent interpersonal. The most important skills for a front desk coordinator are patients, customer service, and check-in.

Front office assistant vs front desk coordinator overview

	Front Office Assistant	Front Desk Coordinator
Yearly salary	$32,913	$31,667
Hourly rate	$15.82	$15.22
Growth rate	-5%	-
Number of jobs	149,847	119,803
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 24%	Bachelor's Degree, 29%
Average age	47	42
Years of experience	2	2

What does a front office assistant do?

Front office assistants typically work and perform their duty within the office. They do office support duties like welcome and greet customers, answer phone calls, and schedule and plan appointments. It is their responsibility to sort mails, route calls, and listen to voicemails. They need to organize and give out communications promptly. Also, they do clerical tasks, manage inventory, and maintain their work area. They must be keen to details, can multitask and have excellent communication and customer service skills.

What does a front desk coordinator do?

A Front-Desk Coordinator is the point of contact in a commercial establishment or building such as offices, clinics, salons, and even government agencies. The primary responsibility of a Front-Desk Coordinator is to greet and assist clients of their needs, such as filling-up registrations, appointing schedules, directing clients, and bridging information in a building. Because of these responsibilities, it is crucial to have a pleasing personality and excellent communication skills. Moreover, a Front-Desk Coordinator can also have the task of correspondence in which they are to communicate with clients through calls and emails.

Front office assistant vs front desk coordinator salary

Front office assistants and front desk coordinators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Front Office Assistant	Front Desk Coordinator
Average salary	$32,913	$31,667
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $40,000	Between $26,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Alaska
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between front office assistant and front desk coordinator education

There are a few differences between a front office assistant and a front desk coordinator in terms of educational background:

	Front Office Assistant	Front Desk Coordinator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 24%	Bachelor's Degree, 29%
Most common major	Medical Assisting Services	Health Care Administration
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	-

Front office assistant vs front desk coordinator demographics

Here are the differences between front office assistants' and front desk coordinators' demographics:

	Front Office Assistant	Front Desk Coordinator
Average age	47	42
Gender ratio	Male, 9.7% Female, 90.3%	Male, 9.4% Female, 90.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 23.7% Asian, 7.5% White, 53.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 25.6% Asian, 6.0% White, 52.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between front office assistant and front desk coordinator duties and responsibilities

Front office assistant example responsibilities.

Manage correspondence and documentation for OSHA compliance and hold some accounts payable responsibilities by coding invoices for processing and payment.
Ensure compliance with HIPAA and OSHA regulations to improve customer relations and promote favorable patient/physician interactions.
Download all transcription for the physicians and mail out letters and patient consults.
Utilize knowledge of ICD-9 and CPT coding by verifying explanation of benefits render to patient, for insurance purposes.
Collect co-pays, enter update demographics into EHR/EMR, enter ICD-9 and CPT codes as needed into patient records electronically
Verify insurance to include commercial and Medicaid.

Front desk coordinator example responsibilities.

File invoices, process payments, collect payments, manage all customer files, using QuickBooks.
Manage check-in and registration process for all appointments including physician appointments and medical imaging.
Manage patient data per HIPAA regulations for scheduling, registration, and verification of insurance eligibility.
Enter patient demographics into computer utilize EMR system.
Verify insurance coverage for require procedures and assist patients with alternative options for payments.
Perform clerical/receptionist duties including greeting patients, check-in, and obtaining accurate insurance/demographic information for a gynecological office.

Front office assistant vs front desk coordinator skills

Common front office assistant skills

Patients, 21%
Customer Service, 9%
Excellent Interpersonal, 7%
Patient Demographics, 5%
Patient Care, 5%
Front Desk, 4%

Common front desk coordinator skills

Patients, 23%
Customer Service, 10%
Check-In, 9%
Front Desk, 9%
Patient Care, 6%
Insurance Verification, 6%

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Front Office Assistant
Front Office Assistant vs Front Desk Coordinator

Updated January 8, 2025

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